AS STUDENTS receive their A level results today, an expert from the University of East Anglia has shared his top ten tips to guide students and parents alike through the university Clearing process.

New research by the University of East Anglia (UEA) found that only 21 per cent of parents feel confident helping their children through A-level results day, and just 12 per cent understand the Clearing process.

With this in mind, Dr Charles Seger, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Recruitment and Admissions at UEA, has shared his top pieces of advice for parents on how to support their young person through Clearing.

Firstly, you should check a student’s availability. A student is eligible to go through Clearing if they did not receive any offers (or had none they wanted to accept), they did not meet the conditions of the firm or insurance choice or made the application after June 30.

To make a Clearing application, a student will need to have paid the UCAS application fee, which is currently £27.50.

Secondly, build the application. If a student hasn't already applied, they need to create a UCAS application for 2025 entry.

Once submitted, they can manage the applications by signing in to UCAS, the online application portal. If the application was made after June 30, it will automatically be entered into Clearing.

Parents and students should be monitoring clearing vacancies - otherwise known as course openings - have been live on the UCAS website since July 5. Clearing vacancies are also advertised on individual university websites.

Once a student has their exam results, they can contact their chosen universities about vacancies. Contact numbers for Clearing will be available via the UCAS search tool and on university websites if they have spaces.

The UCAS ID and results of a student should be kept readily available so as to help prepare for any Q&As.

It’s also best to prepare any questions about the process, such as securing accommodation or any key dates, before getting through to the university’s Clearing advisor.

Some courses may require an interview. This might be completed over the telephone, online or a student might be invited to a campus interview at a later date. Have a pen handy to note any deadlines or other information you may be given.

If a student receives an offer to be considered for the course via Clearing, they can then add the Clearing choice in UCAS. Be sure to add their Clearing choice on UCAS by any deadline the university gives you.

Any offer can be viewed, accepted or declined using UCAS. Please check UCAS for any deadlines by which a student may need to make a decision.

If a student accepts, they can then view and print their acceptance letter - a handy document to have when opening a student bank account.

However, if the university can’t offer them a place, they can still contact other higher education providers to see whether there are other vacancies of interest.

It’s true that there’s no limit to how many universities you can contact or hold offers with via Clearing, but please remember that each one will have a deadline and a student will only be able to accept one through UCAS.

It’s also important to check if accommodation is included in any Clearing offers you receive. At UEA, we will be able to confirm if we can offer a student accommodation when they contact us and we will also confirm this in our follow up email.

UCAS also provides a service known as Clearing Plus in case things don’t go to plan. UCAS can match a student's details to courses that they think they might be interested in.

If a student likes the look of any of these courses, universities can contact them in August through this service if they have places on courses they think might be suitable, based on the application.

Students will only be eligible for this service if they have been unsuccessful in your original application or, they submitted an application after June 30. They will also need to pay the UCAS Application Fee.

If a student already knows which university they want to choose in the UCAS Clearing process, don’t be afraid to reach out and learn more about this university by booking a campus tour, speaking to a current student or member of staff.